Asking Great Questions
We spend a lot of time and energy learning how to answer questions. Traditional education is often centered around learning how to gather, synthesize, and disseminate information.
Unfortunately, life doesn’t always allow for this type of discovery. The experiences we place ourselves in often beg for great questions, not great answers. They demand curiosity, not expertise.
So what makes a great question? Glad you asked (nice question, btw). A great question is much more than the words we use to articulate it. The words are simply a product of the energy and enthusiasm which push us to wonder. Great questions are rooted in a particular mindset, a perspective, a unique point of view.
I think there are a few things that make for a truly great question.
- A genuine curiosity & desire for truth
- A well defined lens or perspective
- An engaged community
- And a space to explore answers
As our year with Experience Institute unfolds it is clear that many of us have been thinking about these things. Jonathan wrote about using a compass not a map, Olenka explored the beauty of asking questions and Joe spoke about the benefits of asking better questions, just to point to a few examples. This community is a magnet for great question askers. So it got me wondering how we could leverage that phenomenon to share with each other our curiosities and our wonders. How could we inspire each other to keep wondering and to keep asking great questions? Thanks to some great tools and technology, all it takes is an invitation.
So this is my official invitation. Please join our crew in sharing a great question of your own. Share it using any major social media platform, be sure to include #ExpQuestions, and follow along here.
Looking forward to hearing from you all.
Zak
This article was originally posted on the Experience Institute blog here.